


Universal Truths

by Wix



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bad Team Dynamics, Civil War Team Iron Man, Freedom, Gen, Happy Ending, Not A Fix-It, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Realization, Tony-centric, not team Cap friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 10:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11667687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wix/pseuds/Wix
Summary: The Civil War was a gift - it just took Tony a while to notice it.





	Universal Truths

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文 available: [普遍真理](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15586662) by [allyStk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/allyStk/pseuds/allyStk)



> Author's Note:
> 
> So - the other Avengers are mentioned in this story but do not actually appear. Just a heads up. We stay with Tony for the whole thing. 
> 
> Second: This was a short that I had on my computer that actually inspired an entirely separate story that I'm working on and I considered just scrapping it, but I decided Eh, why not? and posted it here.

Everyone knows that Tony Stark is a liar.

It’s a universal truth: the sky is blue, early bird gets the worm, and Tony Stark lies.

It’s easy to just ignore the fact that nothing is ever so black and white. The sky isn’t actually blue, not every bird eats worms and Tony Stark rarely outright lies.

But the way of the world isn’t fair and Tony’s long since come to grips with being painted by such a large brushstroke. No one cares what the truth is, they just pay attention to whatever suits their depiction or understanding of the events.

Case and point: The Avengers.

Nothing has entertained, frustrated and outright pissed off Tony as much as the Avengers have with their blatant hypocrisy and double standards. They love to let him know that he’s Tony Stark: Merchant of Death, Capitalist Pig, and Everything Wrong with the World™. They paint him with brushstrokes that drip with misinformed lies like: he can’t take care of himself without a nanny like Pepper to do everything for him; he can’t be trusted to not fuck up and try to create something stupid; if something has gone wrong Tony is somehow involved regardless of any and all evidence to the contrary; Tony Stark hasn’t worked a day in his life that soft, arrogant rich boy; and his personal favorite - Tony Stark is just _playing_ hero. That he doesn’t understand how to be serious or how to be an adult.

Tony constantly feels the weight of the chains that they’ve placed on him shackle him down. He knows that he’ll never come out from under the misconception that they hold about what he actually _did_ as the Merchant of Death. They’ll never separate him from men like Obadiah Stane, but they’ll take all of his money and all of his tech as some kind of imagined due owed to them.

He’s been fighting an uphill battle for so long, he didn’t even realize when he had hit the peak. He’s been working so hard, killing himself trying to make all of this work – and it isn’t until it all falls apart that he realizes the _gift_ that they’ve given him.

He doesn’t realize it when he’s choking on blood in an abandoned Hydra base in Siberia, body broken from overuse and mistreatment. He’s mind is too focused on the information that’s been presented to him about the true nature of Steve Rogers, a man who thought himself above Tony from the first moment he met him when he looked down his nose at the brunet and continued to sneer and distrust everything Tony would come to do.

He doesn’t realize it in the hospital, when the doctors are fussing around him and putting oxygen masks over his face while the lights starburst and go dark.

He doesn’t realize it until the letter to ‘Tony Stank’ comes by and Tony’s sitting in his office reading the worst piece of absolute bullshit put to paper that he’s seen in a while.

It’s then that he has his moment of clarity.

And it’s then that he realizes that the ‘Avengers’ have always known it too.

Steve Rogers – a choir boy on steroids, Natasha Romanoff – an overhyped Russian spy, Clint Barton – a washed up archer, Wanda Maximoff – a sadistic sociopath with crazy powers might be the Avengers. They might be the image that adorned t-shirts and banners for a few weeks after the New York Incident.

But he’s Tony Stark. He’s _Iron Man_.

What have the Avengers become known for? They mobilized to save New York – but the press and the world already knows how it was _Iron Man_ who flew the nuke into space and ended that battle.

The hunting of Hydra? Outshined by Rogers and Romanoff’s handing of the SHIELD data leaks and Romanoff’s horrible Senate meeting.

‘The Avengers are dangerous’ started getting whispered long before Ultron.

The Witch made Ultron. The Witch killed thousands of people. The Avengers protected the Witch and took her in. Then the Avengers just flew away and patted themselves on the back for a job well done.

But not Iron Man. Not Tony Stark.

Tony Stark headed relief fundraisers and outreaches. Tony Stark took personal responsibility for his actions and took a step back from the toxicity that the Avengers had become.

 _Iron Man_ was **not** an Avenger.

The Civil War was a gift presented to him that he hadn’t understood how to use correctly until it played out. Until Steve Rogers and the others took everything – every last ounce of goodwill left in the world for the Avengers – and ground it to dust.

That’s when he realizes that he’s been spared the fallout.

The world rallies behind Iron Man and the Vision and War Machine who stood by him. The world praises their heroes who protect them and uphold their values while they spit on the Avengers and their misguided notions of what it means to be a hero.

It’s then that Tony Stark sits back, and realizes that he’s won.

The Avengers realize they need to keep that door open with him because he’s the one who will make or break them. He always has been.

Tony laughs to himself as he crumples the letter and tosses it into the trash.

Let them save themselves. He’s not answerable to them anymore. He’s free.

It’s a new day.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


End file.
